Background

Building adaptive capacity of women and girls to the impacts of climate change is one of the strategic priorities of UNDP. Over last four decades, UNDP Bangladesh has been working with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) together with other development partners to implement GoB’s priorities in disaster and climate change risk management. UNDP is committed to support GoB in implementing its priority in adaptive capacity building.

The Government of Bangladesh is aimed at combating urgent and serious effects of climate change, and is moving towards low-emission and climate-resilient development.

The Government of Bangladesh intends to develop and design projects with impacts in climate change mitigation and adaptation, on the basis of following criteria:

• Impact potential of climate investment to the development investment;
• Paradigm shift potential of climate investment in transforming the development investment;
• Sustainable development potential of the climate investment;
• Responsive to the needs of primary, secondary and tertiary stakeholders;
• Strong alignment with country systems, planning, financing and policy priorities;
• Efficiency and effectiveness of the climate investment.

UNDP Bangladesh is working for last five years to support the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) in developing climate change related investment proposals. Among the issues being considered as subject for a project proposal is Women and Girl’s Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change.

The Context of the Project

Evidently women are more severely affected by climate change and natural disasters because of their social roles, discrimination and poverty. In rural Bangladesh they are especially vulnerable since they are highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihood (CDMP 2009).

The core climate change vulnerabilities outlined below are assumed as gender neutral:

• Flood-risk hotspots in Bangladesh were identified by MoEF (2009) in Middle and Northern-Eastern part of Bangladesh. Recent severe floods occurred in 1988, 1998, 2004 and 2007. Floods in Bangladesh in 2007 occurred two times and lasted for a prolonged period causing 40% crop loss, outbreak of diarrheal diseases and severe food insecurity;
• Drought-risk hotspots in Bangladesh are mainly located in the Northern-West region which includes Rajshahi, Kurigram, Nilphamary, Rangpur and Dinajpur districts. The agricultural droughts are also increasing in Chuadanga, Jessore and Satkhira districts (MoEF, 2009). Both the extent and severity of drought has increased and the consequences are poverty, food insecurity and hunger;
• Cyclone-risk hotspots start from Bay of Bengal and damage crop, vegetation and lead to floods and storm surges. It includes the coastal districts located in the southern area of the country. Cyclones and tidal surges affected Bangladesh in 1991, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013;
• Salinity risk hotspots are located mainly in the coastal districts which have a vast network of rivers and a large number of islands. Salinity intrusion started from the lower-upper area of coastal region to nearest upholds.

The vulnerabilities of men and women to hazard exposures, impact on biodiversity and conservation of marine and coastal resources, impact on life, livelihood and wellbeing of inhabitants of the areas are different and dynamic in different climate change contexts. The degree of vulnerability of women and girls in relation to potable water, human health, water for cleaning purposes, agriculture and community forestry is also different in different climate change hotspots. Therefore, the vulnerabilities are not gender neutral and in Bangladesh due to gender inequality, climate change impact is felt more in the day to day lives of women and girls and is predicted to worsen in future with abrupt climate change scenario (GoB, 2008).

It is also observed that women and girls’ adaptive capacity to climate change is very low in Bangladesh and that makes them more vulnerable to climate change. Generally, adaptive capacity of women is meant to be ‘a set of capacities (human, social, financial/economic, physical, and institutional/legal) that enable women and girls’ individually and collectively within community to anticipate, cope with, resist or recover from, and reduce their susceptibility to climate-related hazards. Such adaptive capacity to climate change is also likely to help them in overcoming conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes, as well as attitudes and behaviors in societies.

The Concept of the Project

The Government of Bangladesh (GoB), through the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA), has invested an average of USD120 million each year over the last five years in the Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) programme (Government of Bangladesh 2015).  This programme aims to graduate vulnerable women from extreme poverty to higher income brackets - mainly by providing food, cash grants and livelihood skills (Government of Bangladesh 2015).  The VGD model is designed to help the beneficiaries use the food and cash support to develop small enterprises or other means of livelihood so that they can become self-reliant (Hossain 2007).

The programme has been generally successful, except in those areas subject to climate-induced disasters such as floods, cyclones, waterlogging, salinity intrusion and drought (Litu 2015). This is because women who have made economic progress are constantly being set back by shocks and stresses, which erode their assets and resources (Litu 2015).  MoWCA’s analyses have shown that they will not be able to attain their graduation objectives in these areas without effectively incorporating climatic risk into their model and providing additional financing to address the risks (Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies 2012).

To address this situation, GoB aims to mobilise additional resources to (1) provide additional skills and cash/asset transfer to the vulnerable women so that their livelihood options are resilient to the climate change shocks; (2) establish more effective early warning and response mechanisms, which are women friendly, but beneficial to all members of the community; and (3) provide better access to potable water supply to reducing the domestic burden of water collection which falls primarily on women and girls and can involve long journeys when local resources become contaminated by salinity after tidal surges or sea level rise in coastal areas or during droughts.

Therefore, the broader objective of the programme is to enhance adaptive capacity of 50,000 women and girls, and their 225,000 family members in areas most vulnerable to climate induced shocks by transforming the VGD into a climate inclusive resilience programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective

The International Economist will work in a high profile team that is put together to conduct a feasibility study followed by provide inputs to the GoB-UNDP Joint Project Development Team working on Women and Girls’ Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change.

The purpose of the assignment is to support the GoB to develop project proposal based on feasibility study to enhance women and girls’ adaptive capacity to climate change.

The consultants would deliver two outputs:

• An economic appraisal report based on an agreed format with UNDP;
• High quality input to the consultant team for development of the feasibility study and Project Proposal that should be prepared as per the format agreed with UNDP.

The economic feasibility study report should minimum include following aspects as minimum:

• Methodology of the Economic and Financial Analysis;
• Economic and Financial Analysis;
• Cost Benefit, Cost Utility, and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis;
• Market Analysis;
• Social Return of Investment (SROI) Analysis;
• Project’s Efficiency and Effectiveness from Economic, Financial and Social Return point of view;
• Risks and Mitigation strategy;
• Final recommendations.

Scope of Work

A Seven (7) member team is envisaged to be recruited by UNDP to work with GoB-UNDP Joint Team for Feasibility Study and Project Proposal Development.  The International Economist will work on economic, financial and social return analysis of the total project. This analysis includes: cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, social return of investment analysis of the project. The International Economist requires combined expertise including the following areas to carry out during the mission:

The consultant will carry out the following tasks:

• Become familiar with Proposed project concept and underlying assumptions and justifications and key stakeholders in the proposed project to check understanding and assumptions;
• Assemble and review available studies, reports and data on women and girl’s adaptive capacity to climate change;
• Conduct an economic, financial and social return analysis of the project aimed for enhancing the adaptive capacity of women and girls identified in project concept note;
• Determine economic and financial feasibility and crucial factors for the success and sustainability of the proposed project;
• Map and assess the market of the project products;
• Develop a draft economic, financial and social return analysis and develop the economic and financial feasibility study report;
• Provide inputs during drafting of the full project proposal;
• Assess economic and financial risks related to project implementation and success;
• Make recommendations to GoB and UNDP Bangladesh on necessary adjustments to project concept to improve feasibility, sustainability and impact;
• Produce and submit final economic and financial feasibility study report and project proposal;
• Present economic and financial feasibility study findings to GoB and UNDP Bangladesh.

The team of consultants will be contractually accountable to UNDP and the issues related to process and deliverables (outputs) also needs to be endorsed by UNDP.

Deliverables:

• A final economic and financial Feasibility Study Report;
• A final draft Project Proposal with inputs from the international economist.

Timeframe and Deadline:

The assignment will be for a priod of total 20 working days from its commencement and shall be completed by 15 September 2015.

• A final Feasibility Study Report - 15 working days;
• A final draft Project Proposal based on inputs from economic and financial appraisal - 05 working days.

Documents

The Consultants will prepare and submit the documents mentioned above at the end of the assignment. The format for Programme Document should be agreed at the beginning of the assignment and cleared by the task force. Further work, or revision of the documents, may be required if is considered that the report does not meet the TOR, there are errors of fact or the document is incomplete or not of an acceptable standard.

Supervision and Perfotmance Evaluation:

The team will work closely with the Committee formed by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and UNDP. The consultant will report directly to the Assistant Country Director, Climate Change, Environment and disaster Cluster.

Inputs

UNDP will provide office space and transport for the consultant as required and also arrange meetings, consultations, and interviews and ensure access to key officials as mentioned in proposed methodology. DSA will be provided for travelling outside Dhaka (if required) as per rules of UNDP

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Professionalism:

• Flexibility to make ad-hoc changes as and when the need arises;
• Ability to perform under stress;
• Willingness to keep flexible working hours;
• Ability to engage with high ranking Government Officials and provide policy advisory support services;
• Good understanding of disaster management in South Asia / Bangladesh, including field experience;
• Full conceptual and practical understanding of activities, legal framework of the government.

Teamwork:

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations as a team member, in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect.

Communication:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Excellent writing skills in the compilation of high level quality documents in English language.

Corporate Competencies:

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in Economics/Financial Economics/Environmental Economics/ Business Economics/ Cost Accountant or most relevant field.

Experience:

• At least 10 years’ of working experience in economic analysis of development projects; cost benefit analysis, cost utility analysis, cost effectiveness analysis and social return of investment analysis;
• Experience in doing social return of investment will get preference;
• Strong experience in economic and financial appraisal of social development and climate change adaptation related project design;
• Substantial experience in development policy analysis involving using quantitative and qualitative methods;
• Working experience in government ministries/ departments and UN / international organizations;
• To level knowledge on global good practices in resilient technologies especially in rural housing in developing countries;
• Sound technical knowledge about approach and methodologies on social, environmental, economic analysis of project feasibilities studies, livelihood security, water and sanitation, employment generation, social safety net, safe migration, public health, skills and other key areas of adaptive capacity;
• Demonstrated experience in undertaking similar feasibility studies in the region/Bangladesh.

Language:

• Excellent English writing and editing skills.

Payment to the consultant

The Consultant will be paid as per the following payment schedule based on the certification of the contract adsministrator:

• 1st payment (70% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of A final economic and financial Feasibility Study Report;
• Final Payment (30% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of the final draft Project Proposal with inputs on economic and financial aspects of the project design and  successful completion of the assignment.

Evaluation of the Candidates

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis: The candidates will be evaluated through Cumulative Analysis method. When using the weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% marks i.e. 49 marks in the Technical evaluation would be considered for Financial evaluation.

Technical Evaluation Criteria (Total 70 marks):

• Past experience in conducting economic and financial feasibility studies in the developing countries/Bangladesh at national scale - 40 marks;
• Past work in on value for money and cost-benefit analysis in climate change and disaster related actions - 20 marks;
• Project development experience for UN agencies/ international organization / donor funded projects - 10 marks.

Financial Evaluation (Total 30 marks):

Financial proposals from all technically qualified candidates will be scored out 30 marks based on the formula provided below. The maximum marks (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal.

All other proposals will receive points according to the following formula:

• p = y (µ/z)

Where:

• p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
• y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
• µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
• z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

Important note for Applicants

Interested applicants are requested to submit their financial proposal along with the application. Please note that, application in this system allows to attach only one document. Interested candidates are requested to prepare their CV's and Financial Prioposal as one document and upload that single document (CV + Financial Proposal) while applying.

The template for Financial Proposal can be found in the below link:

http://www.bd.undp.org/content/dam/bangladesh/docs/Jobs/Interest%20and%20Submission%20of%20Financial%20Proposal-Template%20for%20Confirmation.docx

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.